📉Cheapest priced cityKarbala$371 essentials/mo
📈Priciest priced cityBaghdad$835 essentials/mo
🏠Average 1-bed outside centre$226across 6 priced cities
🌍Karbala vs the worldCheaper than 91%of the 976 priced cities we track
🛂Tourist stay signalNo visa on arrival for federal Iraq: a US$160 e-visa, filed at least 24 hours before you fly. The Kurdistan Region runs its OWN visa and it does not let you into the rest of the country. As of 2026-09.
City-by-city monthly costs
Essentials are sourced rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining, and local transport. They are not a full lifestyle budget.
| Karbala | $371 | 101.3 governorate | $76 | $153 | $72 | $103 | $109 | $11 | $395 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosul | $461 | 103 governorate | $115 | $160 | $69 | $80 | $121 | $76 | $481 |
| Sulaymaniyah | $509 | 99.5 governorate | $176 | $229 | $78 | $103 | $129 | $23 | $573 |
| Basra | $649 | 99.7 governorate | $344 | $471 | $81 | $115 | $90 | $19 | $764 |
| Erbil | $760 | 99.4 governorate | $292 | $466 | $85 | $181 | $157 | $45 | $603 |
| Baghdad | $835 | 102.6 governorate | $352 | $576 | $80 | $123 | $257 | $23 | $612 |
Single person, USD. Data updated September 8, 2026.
Put Iraq on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for every Iraq city we track, side by side. Free, no sign-in.
Open the 8 cities in IraqOr unlock the Iraq deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Robert Smith (Bobsmith040689 at English Wikipedia), Public domain.
Data updated